Yet another installment of is here – our weekly blog post in which we tackle some of the most interesting and impactful industry-related events and pieces of news that happened over the past 7 days (or so).
In this “February 2020”: Week 3” edition, you can read about the following topics:
…and more.
Let’s get down to business!
Big Changes to Google Partner Qualifications are About to Take Place
The coveted Google Partner badge requirements and criteria are to be substantially changed sometime in mid-2020. The new will affect companies and agencies, and here’s what Google had to say on the impending changes:
“We’re excited to announce the launch of a new Google Partners program in mid-2020. You can look forward to a new badge, new status and updated product capabilities categories, as well as improved program benefits to better support the business needs of our Partners and their customers.”
that are to affect the Google Partner badge involve the following aspects:
More information on the topic .
Facebook Releases a New App (That Looks a Lot Like Pinterest)
Facebook has a new product, a photo-sharing app that looks awfully familiar. The app’s name is Hobbi and it lets its users capture and organize their creative, hobby-focused processes and results.
Whether your sub-niche is arts/crafts, fitness, cooking, fashion or home improvement/decor, ETC; Hobbi should help you track your creative process over time and better arrange your crafty projects via photo collections.
Although Hobbi doesn’t appear to have a social sharing component, the app can be used to create videos of your projects after you’re finished creating them.
As The Information reports, the app has first ben released first in Colombia, Belgium, Spain, and Ukraine.
It is Now Easier to Review a Campaign’s Change History in Google Ads
Google Ads is about to change the way you determine the way your campaign is affecting ad performance as advertisers will now be able to .
Here’s an instance from a Google Ads Help article on the subject:
“For example, let’s say you notice a drop in conversions for one of your active campaigns. With the change history report, you can now hover over the markers in the performance chart to get more details about the changes you’ve made over a defined period.”
(Source: Google)
This means that advertisers are now able to click on the hover-card links and therefore glean more useful data through additional filtering. This way you can highlight changes to:
This is designed to help advertisers quickly identify the type of change they need to investigate.
YouTube is Testing Its New Creator Donation Feature ‘Applause’
YouTube is apparently about to that should help creators more easily monetize the support from their fandom. Namely, the video-sharing platform is following Twitch’s suit and is currently testing the new “Applause” feature, expanding on YouTube’s “Super Chat” streamer donation system.
The upcoming option will provide fans with an option to buy an applause animation by clicking on the new Applaud button and then use that animation to donate a certain amount of money to an approved YouTube video of their choice. More precisely, each Applaud essentially donates $2, 70% of which goes directly to the content creator, while YouTube takes 30% of the cut.
Here’s YouTube’s explanation:
“You may be able to buy Viewer applause on participating creators’ videos and show your support for YouTube channels. When you buy Viewer applause, you’re purchasing a one-time “clapping” animation that will only be shown to you over the top of the video.”
Facebook’s WhatsApp Broke 2 Billion Users
WhatsApp, perhaps the most popular messaging service around the globe, has recently that it now harbors over 2 billion users worldwide. The number went up from 1.5 billion measured in 2018.
Facebook itself has 2.5 billion users, which really puts the numbers into perspective.
“Private conversations that once were only possible face-to-face can now take place across great distances through instant chats and video calling,” was stated in the blog. “There are so many significant and special moments that take place over WhatsApp and we are humbled and honored to reach this milestone.”
The team behind this messaging app also used this occasion to emphasize how paramount message encryption is in today’s landscape:
“That is why every private message sent using WhatsApp is secured with end-to-end encryption by default. Strong encryption acts like an unbreakable digital lock that keeps the information you send over WhatsApp secure, helping protect you from hackers and criminals. Messages are only kept on your phone, and no one in between can read your messages or listen to your calls, not even us. Your private conversations stay between you.”
Read more on .
New “Google’s Search for Beginners” Video Sums Up Best (And Worst) SEO Practices
If you read our weekly digest regularly, you probably know that we are fans of the “Google’s Search for Beginners” video series. Their latest episode tackles both the best and worst SEO practices, providing us with a new and exciting beginner-level insight into the ever-changing landscape of Search Engine Optimization.
This may mean that experienced SEOs could find many of the explained tactics familiar, but we nonetheless suggest checking out the video, especially to those coming from the e-Commerce niche.
This also the last piece of news we covered for this week’s edition of Digital Marketing Week in Review by Four Dots. See you next week, until then, feel free to !